German Police: Difficult to Recruit – Many Fail the Language Test

The police in Berlin have plenty of applicants but are finding it significantly harder to find enough who meet the qualifications. Around 40 percent of candidates fail the German language test, while the agency struggles to fill its training spots.

Police president Barbara Slowik Meisel says the situation represents a growing dilemma for the police in the German capital. The need for new officers is great, but the language requirements cannot be lowered.

– We have applicants, but we also have high standards that we cannot lower, she told the regional TV channel RBB.

The problem is especially apparent in the written language test, where applicants must, among other things, complete a dictation and a grammar test. About four in ten do not pass this part of the admissions process.

According to Slowik Meisel, good knowledge of German is necessary because officers must be able to explain their interventions to the public every day and also document them in writing.

High Interest

At the same time, it is not a lack of interest that is the problem. In 2025, more than 6,300 people applied for police training, but out of 1,224 training places, only 936 could be filled. This means that 288 spots, about a quarter, remained vacant.

The development has been noted as a growing share of applicants have a migration background. Approximately 37 percent of Berlin’s new police officers are reported to have a migration background, the highest proportion among German police forces reporting such statistics.

The police also stress that the problems with the German language test cannot be explained solely by migration background. The agency has previously found that inadequate German skills exist among applicants regardless of nationality.

Requirements Not Lowered

The police have tried to address the issue with, among other things, voluntary German lessons for trainees and by publishing practice dictations online. Despite this, management does not want to remove or lower language requirements. Instead, the goal is to find more candidates who both pass the admissions tests and meet the linguistic demands of the police profession.

The issue is particularly important as Berlin also needs to recruit more officers. The police leadership describes the competition for suitable applicants as tough and has tried to broaden recruitment using social media and other initiatives.